Small Group Development and Dynamics
8 Contracts and Meetings
[Author removed at request of original publisher]
Learning Objectives
- Create a team contract.
- Discuss meetings and their role in communication.
- Describe the main parts of an agenda.
- Discuss several strategies for effective meetings.
Establishing Team Contracts
Team Contracts
Scientific research, as well as experience working with thousands of teams, show that teams that are able to articulate and agree on established ground rules, goals, and roles and develop a team contract around these standards are better equipped to face challenges that may arise within the team. Katzenback, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (1993). The wisdom of teams. Boston: Harvard Business School Press; Porter, T. W., & Lilly, B. S. (1996). The effects of conflict, trust, and task commitment on project team performance. International Journal of Conflict Management, 7, 361–376. Having a team contract does not necessarily mean that the team will be successful, but it can serve as a road map when the team veers off course. Questions that can help to create a meaningful team contract include:
- Team Values and Goals: What are our shared team values? What is our team goal?
- Team Roles and Leadership: Who does what within this team? (Who takes notes at the meeting? Who sets the agenda? Who assigns tasks? Who runs the meetings?) Does the team have a formal leader? If so, what are his or her roles?
- Team Decision Making: How are minor decisions made? How are major decisions made?
- Team Communication: Who do you contact if you cannot make a meeting? Who communicates with whom? How often will the team meet?
- Team Performance: What constitutes good team performance? What if a team member tries hard but does not seem to be producing quality work? How will poor attendance/work quality be dealt with?
Meetings
A meeting is a group communication in action around a defined agenda, at a set time, for an established duration. Meetings can be effective, ineffective, or a complete waste of time. If time is money and effectiveness and efficiency are your goals, then if you arrange a meeting, lead a meeting, or participate in one, you want it to be worth your time (Mosvick, R. K., 1996). They also serve an important social function and can help to build team cohesion and a task function in terms of coordination. Unfortunately, we’ve all attended lengthy meetings that were a waste of time and where little happened that couldn’t have been accomplished by reading an e-mail in five minutes.
Meetings can occur face-to-face, but increasingly organizations and businesses are turning to teleconferencing and videoconferencing options as the technology improves, the cost to participate is reduced, and the cost of travel including time is considered. Regardless of how you come together as a team, group, or committee, you will need to define your purpose in advance with an agenda (Deal, T., and Kennedy, A., 1982). The main parts of an agenda for a standard meeting are listed in Table 15.2 “Meeting Agenda Elements”.
Table 15.2 Meeting Agenda Elements
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Title Header | Title, time, date, location, phone number, e-mail contact, and any other information necessary to get all participants together. |
| Participants | Expected participants |
| Subject Line | Purpose statement |
| Call to Order | Who will call the meeting to order? |
| Introductions | If everyone is new, this is optional. If even one person is new, everyone should briefly introduce themselves with their name and respective roles. |
| Roll Call | This may quietly take place while introductions are made. |
| Reading of the minutes | Notes from the last meeting are read (if applicable) with an opportunity to correct. These are often sent out before the meeting so participants have the opportunity to review them and note any needed corrections. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Old Business | List any unresolved issues from last time or issues that were “tabled,” or left until this meeting. |
| New Business | This is a list of items for discussion and action. |
| Reports | This is optional and applies if there are subcommittees or groups working on specific, individual action items that require reports to the group or committee. |
| Good of the Order | This is the time for people to offer any news that relates to the topic of the meeting that was otherwise not shared or discussed. |
| Adjournment | Note time, date, place meeting adjourned and indicate when the next meeting is scheduled. |
Strategies for Effective Meetings
You want an efficient and effective meeting, but recognize that group communication by definition can be chaotic and unpredictable. To run effective meetings, it helps to think of meetings in terms of three sequential steps. Haynes, M. E. (1997). Effective meeting skills. Menlo Park, C Crisp.
Before the Meeting
Much of the effectiveness of a meeting is determined before the team gathers. There are three key things you can do to ensure the team members get the most out of their meeting.
First, ask yourself: Is a meeting needed? Leaders should do a number of things before the meeting to help make it effective. The first thing is to be sure a meeting is even needed. If the meeting is primarily informational, ask yourself whether it is imperative that the group fully understands the information and whether future decisions will be built on this information. If so, a meeting may be needed. If not, perhaps simply communicating with everyone in a written format will save valuable time. Similarly, decision-making meetings make the most sense when the problem is complex and important, there are questions of fairness to be resolved, and commitment is needed moving forward.
Second, create and distribute an agenda. An agenda is important in helping to inform those invited about the purpose of the meeting. It also helps organize the flow of the meeting and keep the team on track.
Third, send a reminder before the meeting. Reminding everyone of the purpose, time, and location of the meeting helps everyone prepare themselves. Anyone who has attended a team meeting only to find there is no reason to meet because members haven’t completed their agreed-upon tasks knows that, as a result, team performance or morale can be negatively affected. Follow up to make sure everyone is prepared. As a team member, inform others immediately if you will not be ready with your tasks so they can determine whether the meeting should be postponed.
Quick Steps
- Send out the last meeting’s minutes one week before the next meeting.
- Send out the agenda for the current meeting at least one week in advance.
- Send out reminders for the meeting the day before and the day of the meeting.
- Schedule the meeting in Outlook or a similar program so everyone receives a reminder.
During the Meeting
During the meeting, there are several things you can do to make sure the team starts and keeps on track.
Start the meeting on time. Waiting for members who are running late only punishes those who are on time and reinforces the idea that it’s OK to be late. Starting the meeting promptly sends an important signal that you are respectful of everyone’s time.
Follow the meeting agenda. Veering off agenda communicates to members that it is not important. It also makes it difficult for others to keep track of where you are in the meeting and can facilitate important points not being addressed.
Manage group dynamics for full participation. As you’ve seen in this chapter, there are a number of group dynamics that can limit a team’s functioning. Be on the lookout for full participation and engagement from all team members as well as any potential problems such as social loafing, group conflict, or groupthink.
Summarize the meeting with action items. Be sure to clarify team member roles moving forward. If individual’s tasks are not clear, chances are role confusion will arise later. There should be clear notes from the meeting regarding who is responsible for each action item and the timeframes associated with next steps.
End the meeting on time. This is vitally important as it shows that you respect everyone’s time and are organized. If another meeting is needed to follow up, schedule it later, but don’t let the meeting run over.
Quick Steps
- Start and end your meetings on time.
- Make sure the participants know their role and requirements prior to the meeting.
- Make sure all participants know one another before discussion starts.
- Formal communication styles and reference to the agenda can help reinforce the time frame and tasks.
- Follow Robert’s Rules of Order when applicable, or at least be familiar with them.
- Make sure notes taken at the meeting are legible and can be converted to minutes for distribution later.
- Keep the discussion on track, and if you are the chair, or leader of a meeting, don’t hesitate to restate a point to interject and redirect the attention back to the next agenda point.
- If you are the chair, draw a clear distinction between on-topic discussions and those that are more personal, individual, or off topic.
After the Meeting
Follow up on action items. After the meeting you probably have several action items. In addition, it is likely that you’ll need to follow up on the action items of others.
Quick Steps
- Communicate your respect and appreciation for everyone’s time and effort.
- Clearly communicate the time, date, and location or means of contact for the next meeting.
How to Organize an Effective Meeting
Key Takeaway
Creating a team contract helps with this process. Keys to address in a team contract are team values and goals, team roles and leadership, team decision making, team communication expectations, and how team performance is characterized. Team meetings can help a team coordinate and share information. Effective meetings include preparation, management during the meeting, and follow up on action items generated in the meeting.
Exercise
- Create a sample agenda for a formal meeting to discuss. Decide what information is needed, and what position might normally be expected to produce that information. Note in your agenda all the elements listed above, even if some elements (such as “good of the order”) only serve as a placeholder for the discussion that will take place.
- Write a brief description of a meeting you recently attended and indicate one way you perceived it as being effective. Compare with classmates.
- Write a brief description of a meeting you recently attended and indicate one way you perceived it as being ineffective. Compare with classmates.
References
Mosvick, R. K. (1996). We’ve got to start meeting like this: A guide to successful meeting management. New York, NY: Park Avenue Productions.
Deal, T., & Kennedy, A. (1982). Corporate cultures: The rites and rituals of corporate life. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.
